1863 Seated Liberty Dime

The story of the 1863

Production at Philadelphia fell off a cliff in 1863. Only 14,000 were made, against 847,000 the year before. That drop is why the 1863 is the one people look for. In 1864 the figure was 11,000.

The other mint made far more that year: 1863-S alone came to 157,500, roughly 11 for every 1863. If you're checking a pile of 1863 coins, the mint mark is the one to look for. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1879 (14,000) and the 1873-CC (12,400).

Across Philadelphia's 59 Seated Liberty Dime issues, the hardest to find is the 1867 with 6,000 made. The 1863 is on the scarcer side of the middle. Within the 1860s it's 5th smallest of 21, between the 1864 (11,000) and the 1860-O (40,000).

More on the 1863

With silver gone from circulation in the East, Philadelphia struck just 14,000 business strike dimes in 1863. The Mint also made 460 proofs, the lowest recorded proof mintage of the legend design. San Francisco, where silver still circulated, made 157,500.

The 1863 is a key date. In some grades a proof is easier to find than a business strike, so attribution matters. Proofs have deep mirror fields and sharp, square rims, while business strikes show frosty luster or wear. Altered dates are a concern, so check the 3 under magnification. In the East, small paper notes issued by the Treasury did the work of dimes. The 1863-S, at 157,500, is the more available coin of the year. Even a worn 1863 Philadelphia dime is a significant rarity. Check the reverse for traces of a removed S mint mark, since an 1863-S altered to look like a Philadelphia coin is a known trick.

Civil War rarities from Philadelphia (1863 to 1867)

These five years hold the lowest Philadelphia mintages of the series. With silver hoarded in the East, Philadelphia struck only 14,000 dimes in 1863, 11,000 in 1864, 10,000 in 1865, 8,000 in 1866 and 6,000 in 1867. Silver was not circulating in the East, so there was little call for new dimes there. Every one of those dates is a key and even a worn example is a significant rarity. The 1867, at 6,000, has the smallest business strike mintage of any Seated dime.

In California gold and silver kept circulating through the war, so San Francisco carried the load. It struck between 135,000 and 230,000 dimes each year, with the 1864-S the largest at 230,000. The S coins are scarce but far more available than the Philadelphia issues of the same years. Many have heavy wear from years of use in the West.

Proofs were struck at Philadelphia throughout the war, with 460 in 1863 and 725 in 1866. For 1863 to 1867 the proof is sometimes easier to find than a business strike of the same date. That makes careful attribution important. A proof has mirror fields, sharp squared rims and crisp stars and letters, while a business strike has satiny luster or ordinary wear. Altered dates and removed mint marks are a known risk, so have any Philadelphia dime of these years authenticated.

Elsewhere in US coinage in 1863

With cents hoarded during the Civil War, merchants issued millions of privately made cent-sized tokens to make change. Congress banned private coinage the following year.